Why I Hate the Student Council
by D-Gray-Man-Fics
Summary: Starting at a new school in the middle of the year is always tough, especially when you're pegged as the "target" of the most intimidating group at school. Poker Pair. AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Quit dragging your scrawny ass and get to school." Cross shouted through the bathroom door. He walked away muttering, "More like a girl than half the women I see..." I rolled my eyes and returned my attention to the bedhead from hell.

"I look like an angry chicken." It was the truth, too. I pressed my hands on top of my head, holding it down flat. The extreme layers of hair gel crunched beneath the effort. _It's crispy._ I lifted my hands, watching bits of gel fall to the floor. "There's no helping it." I turned the bathtub on full pressure and held my head under the barely not-ice water and scrubbed until the gel had come out and the hair was behaving like hair again, its mind of its own suppressed until the next morning.

With the help of a hair drier, I was able to leave the house looking somewhat normal. Sure, the white hair and scar on my face didn't really help with this whole "normal" image, but it was what it was. I'd dyed my hair brown before, or at least tried. The dye never took. Make-up did not hide the scar, barely dimming its color, so I stopped trying with that some time ago.

"Don't you look stunning." Cross sat with his legs propped on the table, a cup of coffee gripped in his hand.

"It is my first day." I would have preferred to wrangle his neck and explain to him how I would still be comfortably at my old school had he not been sleeping with the principal's daughter.

"Looks like you've got the wrong uniform." He commented, drinking from the cup. He made a face at it and cursed it for its taste.

"Huh?"

"You're wearing the men's uniform." He sat back, satisfied with his "wit." I chucked a mismatched shoe at his head. He caught it and returned it. Promptly. Right to the side of my head.

After our "polite farewells," I left for the convenient store to pick up breakfast.

"Good morning." I called on entering, receiving a curt nod from the cashier that clearly did not want to be there. As I knelt beside the presumably fresh display of donuts, a voice caught my attention. It sounded almost unreal, too smooth and suave to be real. I rocked back on my heels a bit to get a glimpse of him.

"I'll have a pack of cigarettes." He leaned against the counter, bag in hand, black hair brushing against his broad shoulders.

"Same brand?" The cashier asked. The male seemed distracted for a moment. I realized the cause too late and turned away, feeling a blush rising to my cheeks. He'd noticed I was staring. I heard him laugh before answering. Though I'd long since chosen which doughnut I wanted, I stayed in the back of the store until I was sure the male had left.

"Um, I'll have these." I set a chocolate doughnut and a coffee drink on the counter, paid, took my breakfast, and left. When I got out of the store, I let out a breath of relief. Even though the male had left, his presence was still in the store. _What an intimidating persona._ I mused, finishing my doughnut before I'd realized I started eating it. "Aww." I stared at the wrapper and looked at the sidewalk behind me to make sure it hadn't fallen. "Should've bought another one." Or a dozen. My stomach grumbled. There wouldn't be enough time to grab anything extra if I wanted to get to class on time.

"Hmm." I pulled a folded note from my pocket. It was a check-list of items I needed to take care of before class started. Pick up my ID and schedule from the office, check in with my homeroom teacher since we would not be meeting today, then locate my locker. I poked the straw through the coffee box.

Every once in a while, I noticed a student or group of students with the same uniform as mine. Most were walking in a different direction than myself. I wondered where they were going. _I wonder what my classmates will be like._ When I finished the coffee, I tossed it into a trash can and popped a candy into my mouth. _It'd be great if I wasn't jumping in during the middle of the semester. _Getting introductions and explanations would not be likely. Especially not on a Wednesday.

I turned a corner and looked up. According to Cross's directions, this was where the school was supposed to be. My jaw dropped. It was a chemical plant.

"But I..." I pulled out a second note, the one dictating Cross's directions. "Yeah, I turned left..." I rubbed the back of my head and frowned. I retraced my footsteps the best I could, eventually needing to run in order to make up for the lost time.

By the time I had reached the school, only a few students were left trickling through the doors. Class would start in less than ten minutes.

"Oh man." I picked up my pace, instantly getting stopped by security.

"Where is your ID?" One of the security guards asked, hand held up in front of me to remind me that I was still not allowed to walk past him. Great guy. I might've forgotten.

"The office." I huffed out between breaths, hands on my knees. "I just transferred in-"

"Oh. So you're Walker. Office is that way. Hurry up." He pointed toward a large room. I thanked him and walked as quickly as I could without running. By then, I was regretting having eaten anything. Coffee, doughnuts, and a jog weren't a good combo.

"I am so sorry for being late. My name is Allen Walker. I am here to-" The woman at the front desk tossed a paper and an ID toward me and pointed at the clock.

"Here." She spoke, face blank.

"Ah, thank you. Where can I-"

"Your homeroom teacher's not here today. Locker number and combination is on your schedule." The phone beside her rang and she answered, no more enthusiasm in her voice than before.

"Thank you." I stepped out of the room, uncomfortable, but glad that everything had moved so quickly. I looked at my schedule, equally glad to see that my first class would be on the first floor. "Room 107." I looked at the numbers around me until I had turned enough corners to find the room. I glanced at the schedule again. "Driver's ed?" I raised an eyebrow, not all too disappointed. Though Cross had already instructed me on how to drive, it would be nice to go through the course without fearing for my life.

With less than a minute to spare, I slipped into an empty seat and pulled out a notebook.

"Hey, who are you?" An eye patch clad red-head asked, leaning over my desk.

"Lavi, you wouldn't recognize half the people in this class with how often you are absent." An older woman chided him. I assumed she was the teacher. "Here you are, sweetheart." She set a textbook on my desk and returned to the front of the room. Though the students who had heard the exchange laughed, they still looked at me, waiting for some sort of answer.

"I am-" The chime of the bell interrupted my introduction. All the students aside from Lavi turned their attention to the teacher.

"You are?" He motioned, a grin on his face. His uniform was a bit wrinkled, the top buttons undone. That combined with his relaxed posture made me think that he was a pretty laid back guy. I returned the smile.

"I am a new student. My name is Allen Walker." I whispered. Lavi opened his mouth, but the teacher cut him off.

"Allen, I would strongly advise _not_ listening to any advice Mr. Bookman may be trying to give you." Students snickered.

"Come on! I'm just being friendly!" The smile never left his face. I found myself struggling not to laugh as well. I didn't know him, but I had a feeling I would get to know him soon.

"Everyone, we have a new student who will be joining us for the remainder of the year. His name is Allen Walker. Allen, please introduce yourself briefly." She motioned toward me. I bit my lip, not entirely comfortable with having to speak in front of such a large class.

"Well, I am-"

"No one is going to be able to hear you. Here. Stand up and come up front." She spoke cheerfully. I tried to return the cheer as I tried my best to walk normally to the front of the room. With everyone watching, I was very conscious of the length of my steps and the speed.

"Good morning." I lifted a hand uncomfortably before folding my hands in front of me. "I am a sophomore and um," I was not sure what I was supposed to say.

"Tch. What a loser." A long-haired male spoke under his breath, resting his head on his hands. I flared up and took a step forward.

"What did you say, _ma'am_?" I asked, feigning politeness. He slammed his hands on his desk and stood up.

"Oh look. Kanda made a friend." Lavi said. "How nice."

"Okay okay! Very nice to meet you, Allen. Let's get to work everyone. Please take your seats." The one I learned to be Kanda and I stared each other down for a while before he scoffed and sat.

"Do you have to be so mean all the time?" A girl with two long ponytails asked. Kanda ignored her. I returned to my seat, aggravated. Kanda ticked me off. A lot.

"Hey!" Lavi lifted his hand, grinning broadly. "Now that there's an even number, I get Allen as my partner, right?"

"Oh." The teacher shifted her weight and looked my way. "That is true, isn't it." She sighed once then nodded. "I suppose so. Just... Allen, would you mind meeting me after class for a bit?"

"Of course." I looked between her and Lavi, trying to get an idea of what she would need to say.

At the end of class, I stopped in front of the teacher's desk as the other students filed out.

"In our driving practices, we split the class up in to partners. Until now, the class has been uneven. Now that you have come, the class has been evened out. Your partner will be Lavi Bookman."

"I have no trouble with that." I affirmed, sensing her unease.

"Make sure that your parent- I mean guardian signs the waiver."

"Oh, all right."

"For your own safety."

"I see."

"That is all. You can go to your next class now."

"Right."

"Oh and Allen? One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Make sure that you have life insurance."

"Oh." I swallowed hard and left the classroom. Suddenly, drivers ed did not seem like the best class to be taking.

"So what did she tell you?" Lavi's voice caught me off guard.

"Well-"

"Don't worry." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and grinned. "I'm not as bad a driver as she thinks I am. I just like freaking her out." He winked. "You couldn't pull off the stunts I can if you don't have the skills."

So much for learning how to drive under circumstances that did not threaten my mortality.

The last class of the day was physical education. After all the sitting, I couldn't say I minded. Though I did wish that I'd been able to find my locker. I was carrying every book I'd been given that day and was sure my back would break soon.

I edged my way into the crowded locker rooms and was instantly met with loud voices and the scent of too much cologne. Though the majority of the locker room was too packed to move through, I found a corner toward the back. The locker was busted, but it was good enough. I waited until the room cleared out before I changed.

Even though I'd gotten over feeling weird about the white hair and the scar and all the other weird things about me like my height, I couldn't get over the way my arm looked. I peeled my shirt off and looked it over. It was as disfigured as it was this morning. I pulled the long-sleeved gym shirt on quickly. It would be easy enough to cover, at least.

I shut the door and stretched my arms over my head. It felt nice to be rid of the weight of the backpack.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard another locker shut. _There was someone else in here?_ I edged away from the door to the gym, deciding I would wait by my locker until he left. Something about the sound of the shoes on the ground put me on edge.

"Oh?" A familiar voice sent chills through my body. I pretended I did not hear and kept walking toward the locker, pretending I had forgotten something. There was no further attempt at conversation. I let out a breath and knelt by the locker, digging through it. On second thoughts, it probably would not hurt anything to pull my hair back. It was getting to the point where it would get in my eyes.

I shut my locker and stood up. When I stepped back, I collided with something solid. The smell of cigarette smoke as well as the arm that snaked around my chest confirmed my thoughts that it was a person.

"Are you Allen Walker?" The smooth voice asked.

"Yes." I answered, breathless.

"We haven't had the chance to get properly acquainted. My name is Tyki Mikk."

The bell rang. I used it as an excuse to pulled away. "Nice to meet you. I'd better get to class, don't want to be late!" The male smiled and took a step in front of me. I watched, perplexed, as he pulled a lighter and cigarette from his pocket and lit a cigarette. Almost instantly, the smoke alarms went off.

"Looks like there is a fire drill today. How unexpected." His smile only broadened as the sound of the locker room doors' automated locks clicked shut. "It looks like we'll have time to get to know each other after all. How fortunate." He leaned forward placing a hand on the wall beside my head. My heart skipped a beat. "Hmm?" He cocked his head to the side then leaned in close. My heart stopped all together. _Is he going to...?_ He pressed his lips to my forehead then, slowly pulled back. "You are bright red, but you don't have a fever." His grin was knowing, mocking. "You looked surprised. What did you think I was going to do?"

"I didn't think anything." I answered back quickly. He laughed, expression showing that he was unconvinced.

"Is that so?" The sound of the doors unlocking resounded through the room. Tyki frowned. "How unfortunate." He had long since put out his cigarette. "I suppose it is time for class after all." He walked in front of me, laughing.

I followed, emotions mixed. I was frustrated, embarrassed, aggravated and, somehow, reluctant that it had ended so soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Oops. I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter. I hope none of you got the idea that I owned D Gray Man because of that, because I don't own D Gray Man. **

**A quick note, I am not one hundred percent on the spellings that people prefer to go with for all the characters' names. I think, for the most part, I went with what was listed on since I assumed that's what the majority of the fandom used. If anyone notices a poor choice in spelling, please let me know. **

"Yes sir, of course you have a choice." The director of the traffic program informed the panicked driving instructor with a smile. "The two remaining cars-"

"I am very aware that the other instructors have been assigned to other cars, but surely there must be some way that I can perhaps trade with them. Just this one time." The man clasped his hands together in prayer.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Arystar. Seniority rules." The man closed his book and walked toward his office. Mr. Arystar hung his head, muttering to himself in a particularly miserable tone.

"Come on, Krory!" Lavi cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "You know my record's a ton better than those losers'."

"Please call me Mr. Arystar, Lavi."

"Who are you calling a loser?" Debitto spat, arms crossed over his chest.

"Look's like you're not any more intelligent than your brother after all." Lavi shrugged and cocked his head to the side. "Anyway, we've even got a new student here, Krory. You can't just let the poor guy sit and rot with the director's stupid simulators for the rest o his life." Lavi put his hands on my shoulders. "Right, Allen?"

"Uh, well..." To be honest, I would be glad to never get in a car with Lavi. Or to be outside my house when he was in or near a car for that matter. I wasn't sure if I'd heard more stories about Lavi or the twins when it came to driving. The three in question had busied themselves with threats that almost rivaled Marian Cross's in the morning. Thinking of that man always brought a frown to my face.

"Enough!" Mr. Arystar shouted. "Lavi, Allen, let's go." He tossed opened the passenger's side door, defeated.

"What?" Jasdero and Debitto whined in unison.

"Good call, Krory my friend."

"I am not your friend, Lavi."

"Whatever you say, buddy." Lavi jumped into the driver's seat and started the car. Jasdero and Debitto had turned their attention to tormenting the director. There was no hope of a divine intervention, so I climbed into the back seat, buckled my seat belt, and wondered what prayers I should say.

"Today we will-"

"Express way driving?"

"No, Lavi. God help us if you ever get on a highway."

"Fine fine. We're supposed to cover all the basics of every day driving, though."

"Yes, I am aware."

"So then it would be best to go through a drive through." Lavi affirmed his own question with a nod then put the car in reverse. "Anyone hungry? I've got a craving for some McDonalds breakfast." I looked between Krory and Lavi, wondering if Krory was going to stop him.

"I'm going to lose my job." Those were his only words as he sat back in his seat. Lavi adjusted the mirrors, flashed me a grin, and stepped on the gas. The tires squealed as it blasted into motion. "Do you have to do that every time?" Krory asked, holding his head in his hands. "Speed limit, Lavi! You're going thirty over the speed limit!"

"No one's watching. Besides, I haven't seen a police man around here since the music room accident." Lavi took a corner so quickly that Krory and I both hit our heads against the window.

"Slow down!" Krory shouted, clinging on to the dashboard.

"It'll be fine. Besides, you've always got the emergency brake." Lavi adjusted the seat, steering the car with one hand and minimal attention.

"There is no longer an emergency brake." Krory cautiously sat back up.

"Oh yeah? Decided you trusted me after all?"

"Not quite. Debitto insisted on highway driving." I saw Krory's already pale face pale even more as he recalled the story. Lavi just laughed. Aside from the bump on my head, Lavi's driving did not seem too bad. At least, not compared to Cross, that was.

"You got your wallet with you, Allen?" Lavi asked, reluctantly slowing as he merged into traffic.

"Yes." I phished through my backpack and pulled it out.

"Mind lending me a couple bucks? I'll cover you next traffic." He turned into a McDonald's drive through, stopped in place for a while by the line of cars.

"Oh." I took twenty dollars from the wallet and handed it to him. "Here."

"It's the dollar menu, man. I'm not going to eat that much. Five should be enough for both of us." Lavi tried to hand the money back. After I told him my order, he rubbed the back of his head, nodded, and looked to Krory.

"I don't want anything but to be able to teach the lesson I was assigned to teach just once."

"No need to sulk, Krory."

"Mr. Arystar?"

"Yes, Allen?" It took him a moment to respond. I wondered if he was used to being called 'Mr. Arystar' by anyone. Somehow, he seemed like the kind of teacher to get bullied by his students.

"Would you mind if I ate in the car? If I spill anything, I'll be certain to clean it before it can stain." Krory stared at me, slack-jawed. "I could always-"

"He's not mad. He's just in shock. This is probably the first time anyone's asked him permission for anything, right, buddy?" The worker handed Lavi the bags of food, interrupting Krory's answer.

"Would you mind if-"

"Not at all!" Krory exclaimed and sat up a bit straighter in his seat.

"Thank you." I repeated the thanks when Lavi handed me my bag. My stomach growled as I opened the box of pancakes, the two sandwiches, and the hash-brown.

"You shouldn't eat and drive, Lavi." I spoke, barely understandable through the mouthful of food.

"We have to learn to drive like we're going to drive in real life." He answered, equally hard to understand. "You gonna drive without eating?"

"Probably not."

"Then you gotta practice." Lavi chugged half his soda, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and returned his attention to the road.

"You missed out, Krory. That was delicious. Oops. Hold onto your luggage, folks!" Lavi called, gripping the wheel with both hands and turning sharply. By then, I only had half my second sandwich and my orange juice left, but I braced myself anyway. Lavi navigated the car between two semis. I sipped from my orange juice, unable to hear the sound over the roar of the engines. "Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle until we come to a complete stop!" Lavi had to shout to be heard. I laughed. Krory continued to cross himself and chant an inaudible prayer.

"You should pull into that parking lot." I pointed to an opening for a lot a few meters ahead.

"It's a one way."

"Closed until ten. You're fine."

"Good eye." Lavi pulled into the empty lot, circling until he got the speed back under control.

"Get out." Krory spoke, knuckles white as his face. "Give me the keys."

"Oh come on! It's only been-" Krory's expression silenced Lavi in mid-sentence. "Fine." He turned off the car and tossed the keys.

"You are lucky I am not allowed to leave you here. Get in the back with- Oh that's right!" Krory turned quickly, face full of concern. "Are you all right, Allen?" I swallowed the last bit of my sandwich. Krory's expression changed to a mixture of confusion and terror. "You... are unfazed?"

"We didn't collide with anything or come to a sudden stop." I explained, suddenly uncomfortable. "I can't really see any reason to be bothered." I spoke tentatively.

"See? He knows what he's talking about." Lavi wrapped an arm around my shoulder, taking a seat beside me.

"What kind of driving instructor did you have?" Krory asked rhetorically. "I am taking us back to the school."

"But Allen hasn't gotten a chance to drive yet! That's not fair, Krory-kins!"

"What did you just call me?" It wasn't a threat. It was a legitimate question.

"It's your nickname."

"No. No it is not."

"Whatever. Anyway, I want to see Allen drive."

"I want to see tomorrow. Conversation over." Krory held onto the keys more tightly as if concerned that Lavi would take them from his hand.

"Sorry, man. I didn't mean to cheat you out of your shot at driving." Lavi removed his arm from my shoulders and relaxed into his seat.

"Oh, that's fine, really. I have my license." Krory slammed on the brakes when I spoke.

"You..." He shook his head and started forward again, muttering to himself about never coming near a road again. Lavi started laughing again. I found myself unable to help but laugh too.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Lenalee." The girl offered her hand, a big smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you." I shook her hand.

"Don't encourage his formality crap, okay, Lenalee? He even calls Krory 'Mr. Arystar.'" Lavi feigned exasperation as he dropped onto the seat beside mine, contents of his lunch tray teetering dangerously.

"You know, I think he'd be a bit less stressed out if you'd stop picking on him so much." Lenalee chided.

"What's the beansprout doing here?" I recognized Kanda's voice in an instant.

"My name is Allen." He sat across from me, only glaring in response.

"Not this again. What can you possibly have against him? He just transferred." Lenalee asked.

"I don't like him." Kanda answered, crossing one leg over the other.

"The feeling is mutual."

"Hmph. You say that like I should care."

"I can make you."

"Is that a threat?" Kanda asked, rising to his feet. Instantly, I moved to stand. Lenalee held Kanda down and, before I could make a move for it, Lavi held me in place too.

"Enough, you two! Is this going to be what every lunch period is like now?"

"I can see to it that it's not."

"Isn't that a kind of you, Yuu?" Lavi patted me on the shoulder. "But I think we all would prefer to keep Allen alive."

"Speak for yourself, Bookman. And never call me 'Yuu' again if you want to keep that tongue of yours." Lavi put his hands up in fake surrender. Thinking the ordeal was over, Lenalee released Kanda. The moment she did, we were at each other's necks.

"Stop it!" Lenalee shouted and made a move to grab one of us. Lavi put a hand up to keep her back.

"I don't think you want to get in the middle of that." Lavi warned. I had Kanda's jacket pulled half way over his head, mostly blinding him.

"You're less pathetic than you look." Kanda spat. "I thought you'd be dead by now." I coughed out a laugh. I would have done more, but the impact of Kanda's knee in my gut had knocked the breath out of me. Actions speak louder than words anyway, so I decided I'd act instead. _If I can get him off his feet, I won't have a problem. _

With Kanda unable to see, I decided to let him think he was gaining the upper hand by taking a step back every so often, keeping a firm grip on his jacket. _I cannot wait to see him fall flat on his face!_ I stopped in front of a bench. At the same time, Kanda pulled the jacket the rest of the way over his head, throwing me off balance. I toppled over the bench, landing full force on my back, completely winded.

"Too bad you're more of an idiot than you look." Kanda scoffed, towering over me.

"Okay okay! We're done here." A man with glasses shouted as he pulled Kanda back. I got to my feet, coughing.

"Don't touch me." Kanda snapped and swatted the man's hands away. Kanda crossed his arms over his chest, scowling.

"Thanks, brother." Lenalee stepped up to the man I then assumed to be her brother.

"Nice save, Komui!" Lavi clapped him on the shoulder.

"Save? I-"

"Enough!" Komui held up a hand to keep me from saying anything more. "Both of you. My office. Now."

Principal Komui Lee suspended Kanda and I for the rest of the day. Following school regulations, we were not allowed to leave until our parent or guardian came to pick us up.

"Yes. Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am. No, I won't be calling again." Komui hung up the phone and looked to me, his face screwed up in irritation. "Any other phone numbers you'd like to try, Mr. Walker?" I averted my eyes and rubbed the back of my head.

"Want to try his work number?"

"I just did. His 'boss' told me to..." Komui stopped and cleared his throat. "Look, you're not leaving this school until Marian Cross comes in here and speaks with me."

"I mean no disrespect but-"

"Yes. You've told me he is hard to get a hold of." Komui put his head in his hands and sighed. He had spent the past hour picking up where his secretary left off, trying every number imaginable to contact Cross. After another four failed calls, he slammed the phone particularly hard. "Are you certain that this man exists?"

"Much to my dismay." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, um. I said yes. He is real." I could give him the number of a bar or two that could affirm his existence, though their stories may not be the most pleasant. Last time I'd mentioned his name in a bar, men in sharp suits jumped to their feet and started demanding to know where he was.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lee, but if you continue putting off your paperwork by trying to contact this young man's parents, you are only going to have more to do tomorrow." The secretary's voice interrupted Komui in mid-thought. I bit back the urge to deny any relationship with the demon of a man. Komui's demeanor changed. He looked more like a sulking child trying to avoid his homework than a principal. I covered up a laugh by clearing my throat and covering my mouth.

"You can work on your homework until I hear back from Mr. Cross." He left the office, despondent. I sighed and looked through my backpack. I had the books for the classes I would be missing, or well, at that point, they were the classes I had _missed_. The only class remaining was gym. _I wonder if he's there._ I mused, pulling out the syllabus for my English class. If I had any hope of making it through midterms, I would need to read through the selections for the Shakespeare unit on my own. Lucky for me, Lavi was more than willing to lend out one of his copies of the book. I hadn't taken him for the studious type, but that guy knew everything there was to know about history and literature.

"_If you want to understand history completely, you've got to know the art and literature and music too. You get what people decide to document officially in the textbooks and all that, but you get the emotions and mindsets of the people from the arts. But hey, if you're comfortable just knowing what the textbook makers decided to let you know, go ahead and keep your head in those books. As for me? I'll pity you in my primary source room." _

"_Primary source room?"_

"_Well I guess it's got newspapers too, and those are more secondary kinds of sources. More biased. But whatever." _

I laughed to myself and shook my head. Lavi got cooler every time I spoke to him. Much to my delight, that was often.

_I wonder if he knows Tyki Mikk._ I paused for a moment, finger on my book to keep my place. Lavi did seem to know everyone. _And how do you propose asking him? Hey Lavi! There's this guy who set off the smoke alarm in order to talk to me in private. He kind of scares the hell out of me. Oh, and I also thought he was going to kiss me. His name's Tyki Mikk. You know him? _I rolled my eyes. I was thinking too much into it. He was an upperclassmen messing with an underclassmen. It wasn't really that unique or thought provoking. Yet there it was, my second day at a new school, and I had played the lackluster scene through my head so many times that any mind reader would call me obsessed.

Hours passed before Principal Komui returned. The sun had set. Every club activity was over.

"Allen?" Komui had to call my name more than once to get my attention. I'd been too engulfed in the readings to take notice of much else.

"I'm sorry." I shut the book and lifted my head. "Did he ever-"

"You see, that's the problem..."

"Ah." I bit my lip. I shouldn't have expected Cross to stay in one place, even if we had only been living there for four days. And hadn't unpacked a single box. Other than the ones I had unpacked.

"Are you all right?"

"Huh?"

"Your expression looked... frightening." Komui adjusted his glasses.

"Ah, it's nothing. Just a bit tired." I rubbed my eyes and rose to my feet. When standing, I realized I had no idea where I was going to go after standing seeing as Komui was not allowed to let me leave the premises without Marian Cross, the bane of my existence. I shifted my weight uncomfortably. "To be honest, sir, I have no idea when he'll be back." _I didn't know he was leaving to start with. _"His occupation takes him out of town for weeks at a time." _Whatever occupation that might be. The only thing he comes back with more of is debt. _

"I see." Komui poked his head out of his office for a moment. "I have two choices then." He tapped his foot on the floor, looking thoughtful. "The first is to have you stay until Mr. Cross contacts me. Judging by the look on your face, that does not seem like the best option. Second..." He checked outside of his office again. "Grab your stuff and leave. Try to not let anyone see you. I don't need the superintendent breathing down my neck complaining about indiscrepancies."

"I will not tell a soul." I packed my books into my backpack.

"If this happens again, you will be sleeping in here until your... step father is it?"

"No, not quite."

"Uncle on your mother's side?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Cousin?"

"We're not related."

"So then you are adopted?"

"In a way."

"Then do you call him 'father?'"

"God no! I um... I mean that um, we do not particularly consider ourselves to be in a um, paternal type of relationship. He agreed to be my guardian until I turn eighteen." _A day that truly can not come sooner._ Komui cocked his head to the side, trying to come up with some sort of precedent he could compare this to. Comparing anything to Marian Cross was impossible. Unless, of course, one were to be comparing him to a demon or some hell-spawned creature.

"I see. At any rate, if I catch you fighting with Yuu or any other student for that matter, you will be in deep trouble. Understood?"

"Understood. Thank you very much. I apologize for fighting with Kanda. It will not happen again." _On campus._

"I am glad."

I threw my backpack over my shoulder and hurried out of the office before he could change his mind.

My legs were stiff from sitting for so long. They were somehow both numb and sore at the same time. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. The halls were dark. I didn't know the way to my locker well enough to want to try to find it.

I pushed open the back door of the school. If there were any security guards left in the front, I didn't want word of my leaving getting around the school. Komui had done me a favor. Besides, I was pretty sure that there was a shortcut to my house if I left from the back.

As I walked, I was surprised to hear people talking. I checked my watch. It was nearly eight. I shrugged it off and kept walking. There was always that one group of students that would hang around the school past reasonable hours doing only God knows what.

I would have kept walking had a familiar voice not caught my attention. Two, actually. Even if I could not make out the words, there was something to the way that Jasdero and Debbito spoke that gave them away. The other voices were unfamiliar. _It's none of your business. Just go home. You're going to get lost on the way back as it is. It would be nice to be home before midnight. _Despite my inner monologue, I found myself walking in the direction of the voices instead of the direction of my house.

"Are you lost, Allen Walker?" Before I was close enough to hear the conversation Jasdero and Debitto were having, one that seemed to be gaining intensity, I was spotted. "Or are you not done getting in to trouble today?" Seemingly from no where, Tyki Mikk appeared. I could hear the conversation going uninterrupted a ways behind him.

"Ah, no. I was just, about that." I forced a smile on to my face but avoided making any other movements. If I had a nervous habit, I did not want it to show itself now. "I think I hear two of my classmates. I had a question about class."

"Oh?" Tyki Mikk raised an eyebrow, eyes fixed on me. He watched my expression as if suddenly the words 'I am blatantly lying' would etch themselves into my forehead. I wanted to squirm under the weight of his gaze. My chest felt crushed by it. Instead, I called in to mind everything I had learned from my glorious childhood with Marian Cross. Lie. Lie well.

"Yeah. Midterm details." I shrugged and shifted my backpack to my other shoulder. "That is Debbito talking right now if I recognize his voice correctly." I pointed in the direction I assumed his voice was coming from. "Why would that be looking for trouble?" I asked both to play up my innocence and ease my curiosity.

"Interrupting a student council meeting is quite problematic." He answered, his voice at ease as always.

"Student council meeting? They're in the student council? Why are they having a student council meeting outside and after school hours?" I asked.

"Yes, they are. This meeting is special so it can't be held during school hours. That means, unfortunately, no school facilities are open." He explained, his voice relaxed but entertained. His explanation struck a chord and, for some reason, I found myself growing increasingly concerned, especially for the owner of the voice I did not recognize.

"If that's the case, I'll make sure to be quick. Thank you for letting me know." I stepped past him, but before I could get farther, he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I could relay your question to them at the end of the meeting. If you give me your phone number, I can see to it that they contact you immediately." His smile broadened as he spoke. This affirmed my suspicion that something unnatural was going on just a few paces from where I stood. Irritation flooded through me, but I knew there was nothing I could do.

"Thanks." Despite my effort, my tone fell flat. His eyes lit with amusement at the notice. He pulled a pad of paper and pen from his jacket pocket and placed them in my hands.

"Not a problem." His fingers lingered on my left hand for a moment longer than the other. He rose an eyebrow but did not raise any questions. I wrote my cell phone number down and returned the items to him.

"Here." Jasdero's laughter was followed by conversation that was so close to audible that I swore I could almost understand it. I gritted my teeth. The voice speaking was the unrecognizable voice, and it was clearly distressed.

"Thank you." He read over my number before replacing the pad and pencil in his pocket. "What would you like for me to ask them?"

"Um, I guess just if any information has been released about it yet." I did not want Jasdero and Debbito to have my phone number. "It's not really one question. I can just ask tomorrow in class."

"Is that so?" He cocked his head to the side. "It would not be a problem." It was clear from the expression on his face that he knew that I didn't care about the information."

"Thank you for offering, but I will wait until tomorrow." I forced a smile to my face again.

"As you wish." Thunder clapped over head and a strong wind blew.

"I'd better get going. Thanks." I turned and retreated quickly. I'd be glad to be at my house.

"Would you like a ride home?" His voice came from directly beside me.

"Huh?" I was startled, caught off guard. I blinked then held my hands up. "Oh no, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It would be a shame to get caught in this storm." He held his hand palm up. It hadn't begun to rain yet. I did not know if it would.

"I live close by, but really, thanks." I did my best to not quicken my pace. Eventually, there was some distance between us. It was then that he spoke.

"Allen?"

"Yes?"

"You're going the wrong way." He pointed toward a house with a blue rooftop. I flushed red.

"Oh, thanks." I turned around, certain that embarrassment was clear on my composure. As I walked past him, he smiled and held up a hand.

"Have a good night, Allen Walker."

**A/N: And this brings us to the end of chapter 2. I hope to have another chapter up soon. More details about what the student council is, who is in it, and the like. And, of course, more development of Allen and Tyki's relationship. **

**See you next time! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still don't own D Gray-Man. I don't have any intentions of trying to own D. Gray-Man. I just want to write random plots about fictional characters that I would like very much to be canon homosexuals. That is all.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has liked, followed, and/or commented on this story. All of this has encouraged me to write much faster!**

_Wait a minute._ I stopped in front of my door, hand on the doorknob. _How did he know where I lived? _It was by no means a small town. There were "for sale" and "sold" signs somewhat regularly, at least from what I had seen. There had to be plenty of people moving in and out during a year. _There has to be a logical reason for it._ Despite my almost certainty, paranoia swept through me as I opened the door. I locked it behind me, just to be safe.

It was to no surprise that the lights were on despite the fact that no one was home.

"Who needs to worry about electricity bills, after all." I muttered to myself, turning off the light in the garage and stairway before going to the kitchen. I checked the table, counter, and fridge for any hint of a note. There was none. I opened the fridge, eying the near complete lack of food. "Looks like he's not planning on coming back soon." If he was, there would be food.

I set my backpack on a chair and looked through the cupboards. They were equally empty. _Even though I just bought dry ingredients. _I groaned and shut the doors. Either I was going to be ordering in or eating out.

"At least I've got this." I pulled my wallet from my backpack and unzipped the hidden pocket I'd installed. _One credit card. Dinner's on you tonight? _I pulled out the card, grinning from ear to ear. _Pizza? Chinese food? Both? _I grabbed my phone and dialed the number I'd memorized on my various walks around town. Survival skills dictated knowing the number of the nearest pizza place.

"Luigi's Pizza. This is Sammy talking. Can I take your order?"

"I'll have two eighteen inch supreme pizzas, an order of hot wings, garlic bread, ah, make that two garlic bread orders, and do you have any pasta?"

"I'm afraid we're out for the night."

"Oh, that's okay. I'll just finish off the order with a meatball sandwich then."

"All right. That will come to $42.50. Can I have your name and credit card number?"

"Of course. My name is Allen Walker and the number is..." I turned the card over. My jaw dropped.

"What type of card?"

"That would be... the public library card..." I spoke, not believing my eyes.

"Is this a joke?"

"I wish it was." I put my hand to my head and sighed. After apologizing repeatedly before ending the call.

_Hey Idiot,_

_You thought I wouldn't notice your brat ass digging through my wallet? If you're hungry, figure something out on your own. If you make a mess dying while I'm gone, I will personally see to it that every demon in Hell knows your name._

_Marian Cross_

_P.S. Be glad I didn't take the cash too._

"When did he have a chance to come near my wallet?" I checked through the remaining cash, surprised to see that none of it was missing. _That wasn't generosity. It means he'll be gone for at least a month. _It looked like it was time to begin looking for part time work. Again.

Until then, I still had to deal with finding something for dinner. I found myself returning to the convenient store. I had a feeling that it would become a place of more frequent visit than I'd originally planned.

"The store is closing in two minutes. Can't you read?" The cashier pointed at the sign on the door.

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"Hurry it up. I'm sick of waiting around here until 9:45 for punks like you to buy chasers for whatever shit it is you're drinking these days." The man continued to complain about 'my generation' as I paid for the cup ramen and left the store.

"Friendly service is never hard to find." I pocketed my hands and retraced my footsteps home. Cars blared past me. I wondered if they noticed anything about their surroundings other than the clocks on their dashboards. The third time I had to leap out of the way of a passing moped driver, I began to feel personally victimized by the vehicles and their drivers.

My phone chimed, indicating a text message. I pulled my phone from my pants pocket and flipped it open.

**_Sender: It's dangerous to be out so late._**

I read through the sender's number multiple times. No instance of recognition came.

"Who...?" I shut my phone and returned it to my pocket. It felt heavier then than it had seconds ago. I was quick to lock my door when I returned. I hadn't opened the ramen before my phone chimed again.

_**Sender: You adhere to warnings well.**_

I tossed my phone on to the couch; offended, annoyed, and worried by the message. _Don't play in to whatever trick they're trying to pull over on you. Don't even respond. _I filled the tea kettle with water. After several attempts and a match, the stove top lit. Though I'd told myself I would not do it, I returned to my phone while waiting for the water to boil.

_**Me: I am not "adhering to warnings." I am eating dinner. **_

I sent the message. A swell of satisfaction carried me back to the stove. The water hadn't begun to boil yet so I looked around for a fork. Of course none of them had been unpacked yet. By the time I'd found one in the dozens of unorganized boxes, the kettle had long since boiled over. The majority of the water had evaporated forcing me to start again. I ran my fingers through my hair a few times, frustrated.

The light on my phone was blinking. This caused more of a reaction than it should have. I chided myself as I opened it.

_**Sender: Is that what you call it? **_

Was someone watching me? I looked to the front window. Its curtains weren't drawn. Anyone could see what I was doing if they stopped to watch. As freaked out as I was, I resolved to not let it show. I would prepare my dinner before I wrote back. I caught the water boiling and turned it off, taking my time to pour it into the cup. I placed my fork on top of the paper to keep it in place.

_**Me: Who is this?**_

It did not take long before my phone chimed with response.

_**Sender: You give me your phone number then forget who I am? I'm hurt.**_

Tyki Mikk. _Of course it's him. _I breathed a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived. Tyki Mikk knew where I lived and was actively letting me know that he was watching my every move. _What kind of game is he playing? _If this was how this city's upperclassmen messed with their underclassmen, I hoped to avoid any more of it.

_**Me: I see. So should I thank you for walking me home?**_

_**Tyki Mikk: I can't say I would mind that.**_

I laughed and snapped my phone shut. It did not take long before I'd opened it again. I justified my actions by saying that I couldn't in any good conscience avoid responding. It would be rude. Tyki Mikk had done nothing wrong, even if the thought of him made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. There was something about him that just seemed... dark.

_**Me: You know, most people would probably call you a stalker.**_

_**Tyki Mikk: What would you call me?**_

The response caught me off guard. For some reason, I found myself wanting to blush. _This is ridiculous. Knock it off, eat, and get to bed. _

_**Me: That depends.**_

_**Tyki Mikk: On?**_

_**Me: Whether or not you're still outside my house.**_

_**Tyki Mikk: Is that so? Well then, I am no longer outside of your house. Now what do you call me? **_

I was relieved to know that he had gone. I shut the blinds and pulled the curtains shut. It was just a safety precaution I told myself. Any thieves or criminals would be able to get a good idea of what and who was inside the house. _Boxes and a high school boy. You are at such a high risk of being burglarized. _Thunder clapped.

_**Me: In need of an umbrella.**_

Part of me was sorry that he'd already gone. I would have offered him an umbrella if he had not.

_**Tyki Mikk: How kind of you to worry, but have no fear, little one. I am safely out of the rain.**_

_**Me: That's a shame. Maybe if you'd have gotten caught up in the rain, you would think twice about following people home. **_

_**Tyki Mikk: I would only think twice about not following them inside.**_

What kind of person was Tyki Mikk? Was this his idea of banter or what? If it had been Lavi on the other end of the conversation, I'd have no problem interpreting whatever he wrote. Heck, if it was anyone but Tyki, I wouldn't have had any trouble. Before I could write back, he'd written again.

_**Tyki Mikk: You ought to pay attention to your dinner before it gets cold. I will see you tomorrow. Sleep well, Allen Walker. **_

_**Me: Thanks. You too.**_

I took in a deep breath, not letting go of my phone even as I peeled the paper from the ramen cup. My phone stayed by my side until I'd eaten, showered, brushed my teeth, and gotten in to bed. No more messages came, but I could still hear the chime of my phone every time I began to doze off.

_I will see you tomorrow._ The words tumbled around in my head all through the night.

**A/N: I know. This is super short. Agh. I hope it is relatively in character. Anyway, expect another chapter up shortly. It will not be as short. In reality, I should just attach the next chapter to this one and wait to upload it. My apologies!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Welcome to chapter four. I cannot thank you guys enough for all the feedback and follows and whatnot. You guys seriously rock. I am touched. As a result, you now have full permission to yell at me if I stop updating. **

**I do not own D. Gray-Man. **

"It's too bad that we don't get to practice driving every day." Lavi groaned, stretching his arms above his head. "Lecture classes are so boring."

"Is that why you slept through the whole thing?" Lenalee asked. I laughed. Jasdero and Devitto had not been in class that day. I tried my best to notice if there was anyone else missing, but I could not tell. I had a hard time remembering the names of my teachers, let alone the names and faces of every student in the school. Still, I wished I knew what happened to the kid Jasdero and Devitto were talking to.

"Earth to Allen. You still in there?" Lavi knocked on my head. I didn't realize until then that I had managed to zone by accident.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I bit my lip, hoping that I had not come across too rude. Who would want to become friends with someone who ignored them?

"Is there something bothering you?" Lenalee asked, concern immediately rising to her eyes.

"Not at all! I was just," I looked around quickly, noticing a poster advertising a club on the wall. "I was just wondering what kind of clubs and organizations are here. By any chance, do you know who I could ask?"

"You can always ask me." Lavi threw an arm around my shoulder. It seemed like that act was nearly as characteristic as his smile. "And I mean always. I know everything that goes on at this school." He winked. "Even the stuff they'd prefer no one knew."

"I really don't think that's something you should brag about." Lenalee pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That's exactly the attitude that will leave you like Allen here. Helpless, lost, and confused." He patted me on the shoulder. "At least he's got an excuse. He's new. What's your excuse, Miss Lee?" Lenalee bopped him over the head with her binder. He threw his hands up, pretending to be hurt. I play punched him.

"Helpless, lost, and confused?" I repeated.

"Okay okay!" Lavi laughed and pushed the two of us away. "Anyway, we've got lots of clubs here. Books, chess, guitar, film, drama, band stuff, choir stuff, debate too. Let's see, there is basketball, baseball, football, swimming, track, and someone said something about starting a fishing team. The student council is still going back and forth over whether or not they want to dole out the funds for that."

"Oh, there is a student council?" I asked, trying to sound as ignorant of the fact as possible. Inwardly, I was cheering that Lavi had brought up the very thing I wanted to question.

"I can't really give you a yes or a no on that one. That group's a novel in and of itself." Lavi made a face.

"What do you mean?" I bit back the eagerness that crept through me.

"It's not an organization like any other student council I've ever heard of. No elections. Someone just picks them. Even I don't know who. It's not Komui. God knows it's not based on intelligence either. You remember Jasdero and Devitto, right?"

"Right."

"They're in the student council. Co-sergeant at arms." Lavi weaved seemlessly between the throngs of people. He grabbed Lenalee and I by the wrists and pulled us into our next class. Those we were unable to avoid colliding with complained in some way or the other. "They also act like a peer council. Get in trouble, you go before them. When it comes to school policies, they're pretty fair."

"But when it's an unwritten policy..." Lenalee stopped talking and looked around. Lavi motioned for me to lean in, so I did.

"There are some unwritten rules around here. The student council established them a long time ago. You don't need to worry about them. You don't seem like the kind of guy to get in that kind of stuff and the less you know, the better." He looked around like Lenalee had before continuing. Paranoia surrounded the conversation. "When they meet after hours, it's to judge those matters. Nothing about that is fair. Your fate is decided before you walk in."

"How can that be?" I asked, my thoughts returning to the conversation I'd almost overheard. What kind of unwritten rules could there be?

"Because they're not fair." Lavi answered, a bit thrown by the question.

"I mean, how can a group like that exist? Unwritten rules, no election process, no transparency; it's not a student council at all."

"That's why their title is only "student council' on paper. Everyone else knows them as Noah."

"The man from the Bible?" I blinked, finding the name almost humorous.

"Noah got to rebuild the human population after God wiped it out. He was the only one God saw fit to spare. The best of human kind." Lavi frowned. "And that's what they think they are. Jasdero and Devitto, like I said. Lulubell is the secretary and is covering as treasurer since the former treasurer... left. Road Kamelot is the vice president. And Tyki Mikk, he's the president. I'll point them out to you if we pass by them at some point. Do your best to stay out of their way. They are really not the type you want to mess with. Seedy doesn't begin to describe those guys."

"And you should be doing the same instead of trying to pick a fight with them every time you see them." Lenalee crossed her arms over her chest, chiding the red head. The two went back and forth for a while. I stayed tuned in the best I could, but I couldn't stop the shock.

"That is pretty scary." I rubbed the back of my head, unsure of what else I was supposed to say.

"What's scary?" A girl's voice came from behind me. I watched Lenalee and Lavi tense.

"Ah," I turned, putting on my best 'I was not just involved in gossip and am actually just a kind and innocent student' smile. "Midterms."

"Midterms?" The girl made a face. Her hair was dark, but I couldn't tell if it was blue or black. "You sit around like you're plotting a murder because you're talking about music appreciation midterms?" She rose an eyebrow. Something about her reminded me of Tyki Mikk. Maybe it was the hair color. Or maybe it was the way her smile said 'I can see right through you.' I sighed and put my head down.

"I wanted to try to pull off the smart kid persona." I rubbed the back of my head.

"What?" She cocked her head to the side.

"New school, new image." Lavi chimed in. "Allen wasn't known as the brightest at his old school." He knocked on my head. "It's kind of hollow in there."

"He seems pretty smart to me. Cunning, even." The girl grinned. Her tone changed, becoming more intimidating than before. "But if you're worried, I could be your tutor." She leaned on my desk, unreasonably close. She looked me dead in the eye. "At this rate, I'm sure you'll need tons of help."

"Oh, thank you." I broke eye contact and pretended that I needed something from my backpack. "If I have any questions, I will ask you right away."

"You would be better off asking me than anyone else." With that, she gave a meaningful look at Lavi, raised her eyebrow, then turned back to me. "See you around, Allen Walker." She laughed and walked lithely to her desk.

When she was out of earshot Lavi mouthed, "That's Road Kamelot."

"Vice president." Lenalee reminded me. The teacher walked in as the bell rang, saving me from any further conversation.

"Tch." Kanda slammed his hand on the lunch table and used the other to prop up his head. Lavi looked disappointed.

"I tell you the story of the century and you can't even articulate a real word in response." Lavi shook his head as he spoke. Kanda looked to me then back to Lavi. Principal Komui had decided he would begin to take lunch in the cafeteria at the same time Kanda and I had lunch. He had also decided to sit at a table facing ours. I noticed that Lenalee seemed at ease.

"If someone kills the beansprout, it's going to be me."

"Aww. Are you worried about Allen-ow! Ow!" Lavi held his arm and jumped to his feet to avoid a third blow. "Komui is around so you're supposed to _not _be violent!"

"I'm using incredible self-restraint." Kanda returned his head to his hand. Lavi sat down, rubbing his arm. I laughed. This drew Kanda's attention to me. I grinned.

"That looks like it hurts." Lavi nodded in agreement.

"Good." Kanda eyed his lunch for a minute. _Wow. He even glares at his food. _

"Oh, I meant you, Kanda."

"What are you talking about, beansprout?"

"Self restraint." I answered, knowing that I could not let myself go too far. Lunch would end. School would end. "You don't look like the type to act like a civilized human being on a normal occasion."

"Do you have a death wish?" He gripped the edge of the table, his expression saying that he wished that he was gripping my throat instead.

"It was just a simple question. I was concerned." I answered, trying my best to keep from laughing.

"Would anyone notice if you didn't return home tonight?" Kanda leaned forward, making sure his words were not audible to any of the surrounding tables. "I don't think anyone would."

"All right, you two. I think that's enough for now." Lavi pushed my tray of lunch toward me. "Why don't you guys just eat? You probably need some more energy for all those threats."

"Can't you just try to get along?" Lenalee asked, her voice a noticeable plea. I felt a tinge of guilt for my behavior.

The rest of lunch went without much event. After a while, a new conversation had started that hadn't had a chance to talk itself to an end by the time lunch ended. It seemed possible that even Kanda might crack a smile at Lavi's stories once in a while. I hadn't seen it yet, but if anyone could do it, it would be Lavi.

"Allen! Wait up." Lavi called after me after we parted ways outside the lunch room. "We're going to the mall after school. You coming?"

"I would love to. Thank you." It took no effort to smile or want to agree.

"Cool! Meet you by the front doors when class lets out." Lavi returned my smile, waved, and turned to go to class. I watched as, a distance down the hallway, Lavi grabbed Kanda's hair. He ducked behind someone before Kanda could see him leaving an innocent guy to get punched in the gut. No one blinked an eye. _So that's normal. _I mused, laughing to myself.

"See you then." I checked my schedule, still unsure of the locations of each class. "Biology." I made my way to class, trying to avoid collision with other students the best I could.

Faster than I would've thought possible, it had come to be the last class of the day. I swallowed hard, knowing the encounter it could bring. _He said he would see me today. Did he mean that we would talk? _I made my way to the back of the locker room. Everything Lavi had said about the student council ran through my head. _What unwritten rules could there be? _I changed quickly, doing my best to avoid changing my shirt until I was sure no one would see. I didn't want any questions about my arm. There weren't any answers. I'd been born with it looking the way it did.

If anyone had seen anything, no one commented on it. I shut my locker, turned, and looked around. The room wasn't entirely empty, but there were no faces I recognized. I wondered if the emotion I felt was relief or disappointment. After another look around, I made my way to the gym.

The gymnasium was jam packed with different classes. I wondered why. After a while of looking, I found my class. I knew no one which made standing around in a gym uniform and tennis shoes all the more unnerving. I moved to the back of the group, trying to hide from immediate sight. _I really ought to start lifting weights. _I mused, looking at the way males my same age actually represented their gender when wearing their uniforms. Muscle was evident. Bulk was evident. Masculinity was evident. I considered crossing my arms to take up more room, but I did not want to seem like a bad student. If I stood in the back with my arms crossed, I would look like I had a rotten attitude.

"Here." Someone put a clipboard in my hand. "Smith's not here today. It's a sub. Sign."

"Thank you." I barely avoided dropping the pencil on the floor. Once I had found and signed beside my name, I passed the clipboard to the person nearest to me and repeated the information given to me. They nodded a thanks and wrote their name down.

"The field is flooded from last night's rain. All outdoor classes will remain inside today. Any classes in the swimming unit are dismissed now." The man in charge of the athletic program announced from the center of the room before returning to his class. The students around me began to break up into teams for a variety of sports. I figured I would go with the volleyball group. I took a step forward and something grabbed my foot.

"Hm?" I turned around, at first seeing nothing but the bleachers behind me. A moment before I turned back around, I noticed movement under to bleachers. I couldn't make out the face, but I could see a hand gesturing for me. I shook my head and turned away assuming it was some student trying to mess with the others. As I looked around to see where the volleyball group had gone, my foot was grabbed again. I turned back and heard my name whispered from beneath the bleachers. It was Tyki Mikk.

Unsure, I walked to the end of the bleachers and looked underneath. I saw no movement. Still, I looked around and ducked under the bleachers. I kept a hand in front of me, feeling for any bars as I moved deeper into the shadows, sight becoming more and more difficult.

Something moved from beneath my foot forcing me to fall. Someone grabbed my extended hand and pulled me forward. The same person wrapped their free arm around my waist. I knew that the 'someone' was Tyki. He laughed quietly, his cheek brushing against mine.

"You really ought to be more careful." He crooned as he removed his arm from my waist but still holding my hand. I was thankful for the darkness. I was certain that the heat that rose to my face had turned it red. "Follow me." He guided me through the underside of the bleachers, moving farther and farther toward the back. Every time I tripped, Tyki Mikk caught me. Every time Tyki Mikk caught me, I found myself more and more unable to find words. Whatever was going on was incredibly strange. _Then why am I so excited? _

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Shh." Tyki put a finger to my lips quickly before continuing to guide me forward. After a while, he stopped and motioned for me to stand beside him. He smirked, catching me as I tripped once more. When he'd set me back on my feet, he pointed to a spot on the wall. I looked but saw nothing. I watched as he pulled a key from his pocket, moved aside a bar that seemed unmovable, and revealed a keyhole. I stood amazed as he pulled the secret door open. "After you."

"What is this place?" I asked as he shut the door behind me. It looked like a professional lounge of some sort. There was a refrigerator, sink, coffee maker, comfortable chairs, and a couch. The walls were lined with cabinets, each one locked.

"It is the student council lounge." He answered, the grin audible in his voice. "Please." He motioned toward the kitchenette. "Help yourself."

"Thank you, but I couldn't. This belongs to the student council." He nodded once. I watched as he stepped past me to pour a cup of coffee. After adding sugar and creamer, he handed it to me.

"You do like coffee, don't you?" He asked as he poured a second cup.

"Oh! Thank you, but I-"

"Do you think I would pull you out of class, lead you blindly to meet with me for no set reason, then not offer you a drink?" He asked, stirring.

"Of course not." I answered. _Then again, I did not exactly imagine that you would lead me to the student council's secret lair. Or that there was one. _

"Good." He motioned toward the couch. I sat and he sat in the chair adjacent. "Make yourself at home. We have plenty of time to talk."

"Right, thanks." I took a drink from the cup. He did the same.

"How are you liking the school?" Tyki asked. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the chair.

"I like it." I answered. "The teachers seem interested in what they're teaching. The students are very interesting. I haven't joined a club or anything yet, but I am sure they are great."

"I'm glad to hear it. I've heard many new students say otherwise."

"Is that so?" I was a bit surprised. I checked that by reminding myself that not everyone looked for the same thing in a school.

"Unfortunate, isn't it?" He spoke cordially and took another drink of coffee. I nodded. "I see that you're becoming close with Lavi Bookman." Tyki's tone indicated that he expected an answer.

"He is really nice." I spoke tentatively. Tyki remained silent, only watching me with an expectant expression. "He helps me out a lot."

"How so?" Tyki asked. He wore a smile on his face. Despite that, discomfort washed through me.

"He helps me find my classes, introduces me to people, and tells me a lot about the school and how it works."

"Ah, is that so? He does pride himself on knowing just about everything." Tyki laughed and rose to his feet.

"Yeah. It's pretty funny. Helpful, though."

"Oh?"

"Well, I'm sure he'd know which teachers to avoid having class with, lunches to avoid, and other things an outsider would not figure out until it was too late."

"I see. That is rather useful, isn't it?" He unlocked one of the cabinets and pulled a file from it. "Take a look." He set the file on the table in front of me.

"What is this?" I asked, setting my cup down so that I could handle the file with both hands.

"A file on a student who graduated last semester." He opened the file and flipped through the pages. "Go on." As I moved through the file, I found that it included everything there was to know about the girl named. Basic information such as her name and family information, personal information such as her financial income and medical records, and much to my shock, a detailed chart of every club and social circle she moved with was neatly documented.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" He took the file from me when I had finished and motioned for me to follow him. I did. He opened a cabinet. The inside was filled with files, each of them labeled with another name. "We have files on every student, every teacher, every school organization, and so on. All are just as detailed if not more."

"Woah." I looked at the multitude of cabinets. The discomfort that I'd felt before multiplied indefinitely. "Why do you-"

"I am sure that Lavi has told you a great deal about the student council."

"He-"

"I would like to let you know that, despite his claims, there is much that he does not know. However," He gestured around the room. "The same cannot be said for me." His eyes locked on to mine. It was as if he had overheard everything Lavi had said. I shifted my weight, uneasy under his gaze. "It is a great responsibility to be president of the student council. As I'm sure you can understand, we would hate to have any problems with such a promising new student." He took a step toward me. Fear froze me in place, but Tyki did nothing but walk past me. "You can have a seat now if you'd like."

"Oh. Thanks for showing me the um, files. I'm not the best student, but I sincerely doubt that I will go as far as to cause the student council problems." I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. _He didn't do anything. Calm down. All he said was that he has information on the school in its entirety. It is unnerving, but it is no different than living in a small town environment where everyone knows all there is to know about everyone else. It doesn't mean anything._

"I am glad to hear it." This time, he sat on the couch beside me. "I thought you should know." He started, waiting until I sat before he continued. "Last night, a student decided to transfer out. He will never return. Isn't it a shame? No one knows why." Tyki Mikk's smile twisted maliciously. He bowed his head, lips beside my ear. "At least, not that anyone else knows. Not even Lavi Bookman."

**A/N: I hope that you liked this chapter as much as I liked writing it. It was fun and I hope it will continue to be fun! Though I am having a bit of difficulty figuring out how Allen and Tyki are going to actually get together. I have a plan, but it is going to require some work. Eh, if all else fails I'll just do a time skip to when they have been together a year or something. That wouldn't be a problem, right? Nah. I doubt it. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Hey there! So in this chapter, the plot/make-up of the AU world is going to be introduced. I hope that you are fond of the idea. If not, please let me know. I can't change the whole story, but if you let me know what elements you don't like, I can always tweak it a bit.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are wonderful! Your feedback helps tremendously.**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man. **

I looked around the gym. It didn't seem that anyone had noticed I had been gone. I breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat on the bleachers. Class would end in less than a minute.

"Did you sign in?" One of my classmates asked, holding up the clipboard in case I hadn't.

"I have. Thank you." He nodded and set it back on the bleachers before making his way to the locker room. I looked around the gym, this time to find Tyki Mikk. Our "conversation" still rang in my ears. Irritation began to replace the surprise from earlier. There was no way around it. The only thing Tyki had intended for me to learn, and that was to not get in the way of the Noah. I watched as he chatted idly with a blonde, particularly aloof female. She cast a glance my way, smirked, then turned her attention back to Tyki as the bell rang.

I changed quickly, eager to meet with Lavi. It had not taken long for me to decide on my course of action. The Noah were dangerous. They were intimidating the other students and ruling with a corrupt kind of power. If they could make students disappear, who knew what else they could do. I did not want to find out.

"So you come to the school and decide to overthrow the student government. I like this guy!" Lavi exclaimed, his smile brighter than ever.

"You really don't have to do that, Allen. I am sure things will be fine." Lenalee bit her lip, discomfort clear in her posture. There was something she was hiding. I looked to Kanda and Lavi. Kanda shrugged, seemingly unaffected by my words.

"What they're doing isn't right." I looked back to Lenalee. She sighed, agreement clear on her face. "I don't want to see anyone hurt by what they are doing, whatever that might be. Lavi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever hear from the students who 'transfer out' after confrontation with the Noah?"

"Not a word. They drop off the face of the planet." He answered and glanced around him. "So you said they have a room with files on every student, right? When you were reading about that girl, did it say what happened to her?"

"No. Her file concluded with the transfer form."

"I bet you there is a file somewhere with where they all wound up. I've got to see this room." Lavi exclaimed.

"Why did he show you that, Allen?" Lenalee asked.

"I… I don't know. I have been wondering the same thing. I assumed it was something he told the new students-"

"How stupid are you?" Kanda interrupted me. Before I could retort, he continued. "Why would he make it a point to show it to all of the new students? Any information the Noah have is strictly confidential."

"Spouting it off like bragging rights wouldn't keep them in control for long." Lavi agreed. "There is a reason he told you."

"It may be… No." I shook my head. "That wouldn't make sense."

"What wouldn't?" Lenalee asked.

"He brought up more than once that he knew I was spending time with you guys. It was almost like he was trying to prove to me that he had more influence, for lack of better words, than you three, especially Lavi."

"Figures." Lavi scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Lenalee answered.

"It probably was not the best idea to become our friends."

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"It isn't a self-pitying thing. It's just…" She cut herself off and looked to Kanda. Kanda rolled his eyes, clearly unwilling to finish her reasoning.

"We're part of a certain group ourselves." Lavi's voice dropped lower. "We don't like having the Noah in control either, so we've got together a group of people to end their reign of terror."

"I don't understand." From what I had seen, there was no presence of any opposing organization.

"That's not surprising." Kanda muttered.

"I'll give you the details some time when we don't need to worry about being overheard. Basically, we've got two sides and all the neutral parties. The Noah are the bad guys and we are the good guys. We're trying to get rid of them. Exorcise them, so to say." He ducked under one of Kanda's punches. "Like I said, it's more complicated than that."

"You're wasting your breath telling him this. He would be of no use." Kanda gestured toward me. "Unless you want him to 'transfer,' it would be better for all of us if you shut your big mouth."

"Why haven't you 'transferred' then? You're not very impressive yourself." I imitated his tone and gesture, evoking an expected annoyance.

"You're an idiot, bean sprout." He snapped. "I'll be glad to see you go."

"You don't have to get involved with this." Lenalee's discomfort had grown. "There is no reason you have to. It would really be best if you just pretended you didn't know anything."

"Don't worry so much!" Lavi laughed and mussed her hair. Her expression showed no sign of consolation. "I'm going to keep an eye on him."

"How comforting." Sarcasm dripped from Kanda's words.

"Since when are you in charge of this anyway?" Lenalee asked. "You haven't been around much longer than Allen." Lavi only laughed.

"I'll come over to your place this weekend and let you know everything." Lavi cast a glance to his side, expression dimming a bit as a car slowed before it drove past. "I doubt there will be any eyes or ears there."

"Would it be all right if I asked something now?"

"Shoot!" Lavi clapped his hands together once, clearly more enthusiastic than Kanda or Lenalee saw fit.

"What do you guys do to get rid of them? What can I do to help?" It was encouraging to hear that there was already a group established to see to the end of the power of the Noah, but I could not fathom their means of functioning.

"The first thing we need to do is get some more numbers on our side. They kind of wiped us out last year. It's not a very organized thing any more, but what we try to do is well… anything they don't want to see done. Anything to loosen up their control."

"Such as?"

"They know everything about all the functions of the clubs, the staff, and everything else. Anything that is official, they have a hand in. But if there is an organization that exists underneath everything, you can't get your hands on documentation that doesn't exist."

"You're more of an idiot than he is if you believe that." Kanda watched a second car, aggravation turning his lips down.

"Quit being so pessimistic, Yuu!" Lavi was unable to avoid a blow from Kanda that time. He laughed and turned his attention back to me. "Students, a long time ago, formed an unofficial student organization and attempted to create a faction in the school activities and funds. It ended when a supporter of the current student council gained control of the district. Komui is one of the former members of the unofficial organization."

"He's the principal. Shouldn't that mean…?" I thought out loud.

"Not when your boss is in favor of them. He can't do much to help our cause anymore. His every movement is monitored. That's probably the reason he was coerced into being principal. Put the unofficial into the official category and you lose all secrecy. Sad thing is, there isn't much we can do to help ourselves nowadays. We've got some of the former students as teachers. Krory and Miranda included. But they're in the same position as Komui."

"This doesn't make any sense. The student council is simply a student organization. It may have some control in the high school, but I cannot understand how it could affect anyone after graduation. I don't see how this could have grown to be much of a problem at all. A petition should be enough to disband them." I hid the frustration from my tone. I could not understand what had allowed the Noah to rise to such a fearful position when, essentially, they were nothing more than a school's football team. A high school football team had popularity that resulted in power and influence over the other students, but that power ended. And if exploitation of that power was ever announced, the team would be stripped of it immediately.

"It's not like they're smuggling funds from the treasury." Lenalee tightened one of the bands around her hair. "They can make people disappear, Allen. They are a lot more than a student organization. The more anyone finds out about it, the less they talk about it."

"These guys have a control over your entire life if you get on their bad side." Lavi added. "If you think their reign ends in the high school, you're so naïve it's cute. They've got the whole town under their control. It doesn't take much to see that."

"Which is exactly why he, you, and everyone else involved in this should stop stirring up trouble. You are only hurting yourselves. You're not helping anyone." I was beginning to understand Lenalee's discomfort with the unofficial group.

"We can't just give up! They won't go away if we ignore them. Besides, if you really thought that, why would you even bother being part of us?" Lavi asked. Kanda shot Lavi a dangerous look and the conversation ended there.

"I'll tell you more this weekend." Lavi spoke after a long silence. I nodded once and the silence resumed.

Lavi's recommendation was dead on. The pizza place was hiring students. I let out a breath of relief as I exited the shop. They hired me on the spot. I would begin delivering pizzas tomorrow evening. The best part was that, if there were any mess-ups, I could eat them. It was probably wrong of me to hope that the new pizza cooks would make mistakes often, but morals did not keep my stomach from growling at the thought.

My backpack was full with textbooks and my new uniform. It was for the best that I had not purchased anything at the mall earlier. Not that I could have afforded it. I cursed Father Cross in my mind and pulled my phone from my pocket.

**_Me: I owe you. They hired me on the spot._**

**_Lavi: For real? Sweet! You can just mark my pizzas as free from now on._**

**_Me: Sounds fair to me._**

**_Lavi: You're not going to keep the job long. You can't give pizzas away for free, Allen. I had been joking. Jeez. Try to take your job seriously._**

I put my hand to my head and laughed. Lavi was one of a kind. That was for sure.

**_Me: What would I do without you? _**

**_Lavi: Starve in the streets._**

**_Me: Thanks, Lavi._**

**_Lavi: Gratitude is always appreciated._**

**_Me: I'll let Kanda know. _**

**_Lavi: Hmm? Am I sensing a threat? That's pretty cold, man. That's pretty cold._**

**_Me: You consider Kanda to be a threat? That's funny._**

**_Lavi: Aaaand now I've got documented blackmail. See you tomorrow, bean sprout!_**

"Lavi…" I sighed in exasperation and snapped my phone shut. The sun had begun to set so I quickened my pace. I still needed to grab something for dinner and get my homework done. It had probably not been the best idea to spend so much time out. I shrugged the thought off. Homework never took too long. _Besides, _I grinned and pocketed my hands. _If I hadn't gone out, I would've never found out about the anti-Noah group. _Thoughts of the student council filled my mind.

"Oh." I looked up in time to see that I had almost passed by the convenient store. I backtracked a bit and went inside.

"You again?" The cashier looked up from his register. "You're going to end up in an early grave eating like this. You should take better care of the body your parents gave you." He shrugged and lifted a magazine. "Then again, if it wasn't for punks like you, we'd be out of business. All bakery products are half off. Former worker forgot to shut the heat off this morning."

"Right. Thank you." I was not sure what else to say so I grabbed a bag from the bakery and dropped a few of the sandwiches inside. It didn't look half bad. _Not half bad, but half off. I am not going to complain._ I grabbed a drink and set my purchase in front of the cashier.

"Would you like these heated up?" He asked, pointing to the crispy sandwiches. I laughed.

"No thank you."

"That's for the best. These things might burst into flame if they get heated any more." He handed me my bag after I paid. "I'll probably see you tomorrow morning."

"Probably." I agreed and laughed again.

"Damn kid. Get out of here. The store's closed." He pointed to the sign on the door. There was still a good thirty minutes before it closed, but he seemed serious about it.

"My apologies. Have a good night." I waved and left. He was an odd fellow. I could not tell if he was angry or if that was just how he talked to people. I had not seen him interact with any others. Well, aside from Tyki Mikk. And I had not exactly been paying attention to the cashier during that exchange.

I shut the door behind me, met with the familiar silence of the house. The only noises were the ones the poor, decrepit fridge made as it attempted to regulate temperature. I dropped my backpack on the ground and dropped on to the couch, pulling a sandwich from the bag. The bread was as hard as a rock, but it was still edible. My phone buzzed. I grabbed it from my pocket and flipped it open.

**_Tyki Mikk: Those look particularly burnt. _**

I sat up and looked around. The blinds were closed. I could not see any window from where he could be watching. I leaned back and tried to force away the nervousness. More than likely, it had been an old message. I checked the time. It had been. It was just buzzing a second time to let me know I'd missed it. I let out a breath but the relief was short-lived. Even if he could not see inside my house, he knew that I had gone to the convenient store and had been close enough to see what I had purchased. I wondered how long he had been following me or if he had been following me at all. It could've been coincidence. Perhaps he lived close by. The thought did not put me at ease.

**_Me: Are my eating habits that interesting? _**

I sent the message but did not shut the phone. I knew a response would be coming soon. I took another bite from the sandwich, paying less attention to it than I had been.

**_Tyki Mikk: Everything about you is interesting. Did you have a good time at the mall? I wonder what you were talking about with Lavi._**

I shut the phone and tried to calm my thoughts. Whether he lived near me or not, he had made it a point to know what I was doing and who I was with. More than that, he made it a point to let me know he knew. _Why would he do that? What could he possibly get out of this? Is he going through all of this just to scare me out of joining Lavi's organization? _My phone buzzed again. I decided against ignoring it, my curiosity getting the better of me.

**_Tyki Mikk: I suppose I will find out this weekend, won't I?_**

My heart sunk. For some reason, I doubted that it was just a lucky guess. He knew that Lavi was coming over. If he knew that, there was no point io trying to fool myself into believing that he did not know what the topic of the conversation had been.

**_Tyki Mikk: You look surprised._**

I dropped the phone and rose to my feet. Somehow he could see me. I ground my teeth and snatched my phone off the couch. I dialed his number and held the phone to my ear. The sound of a cell phone ringing came from my kitchen. I moved to the kitchen as quickly as I could. The phone went to voicemail. Sitting on the center of the kitchen table was a cell phone. Nothing else.

"I… don't know if you're going to get this message." I spoke, looking at the phone before me. "Seeing as your phone is sitting on my table. Either way, I want to let you know that I am not so easy to scare. If anything, this game you're playing is only has me more interested. I will find out everything there is to know. By the time this game ends, I'll have won. Goodnight." I ended the call and watched the phone in front of me spring to life to alert its owner that the phone had received a voicemail. My phone buzzed. Heart in my throat, I opened the message.

**_Unknown: You're more fun than I thought. It's been a while since I've had a good challenge. Let the games begin. Goodnight, Allen._**

**A/N: We'll see how intense the war between the two organizations get in the upcoming chapters. Let's both hope that it is remotely interesting. A few heads up before I let you go: There is not going to be Laven (LavixAllen) in this fic. I love that pairing to death so having any rejection would break my soul in ways that will probably be broken by another story some time in the near future. Anyway, second! The updates may be getting slower than they have been. I'm about to head back to my second study abroad semester, so I have no idea what my free time will look like. I apologize in advance. I am very sorry.**

**Have a lovely day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Hey guys! Yikes. I did not think it was going to be a whole month until I wrote another update. I really hope that this will be the longest break in between chapters. I may have been able to work out a schedule to where I can write some new chapters (albeit probably shorter than the others) before classes on some days. Rambling aside, let's get on to the story, shall we?**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man.  
**

I had gone through the phone Tyki Mikk left or planted in my house the other night more times than I would care to admit. I hoped that I could find any bit of information that could be useful to me. Whether it be the numbers of the other Noah, text messages revealing a bit of information, or anything; I wanted to find some way to come out on top.

The only thing I learned was that apparently he had multiple phones for multiple purposes. The phone I had only had one number on it, mine. The only texts were the ones I had sent. I ground my teeth, more irritated than concerned as I made my way to school. The student council had managed to put the whole town under their control. I couldn't wrap my head around it. A group of high school students couldn't have that kind of power. So why did they?

"Earth to Allen. Anyone there?" Lavi's voice was loud and laughing.

"Oh, good morning." I checked to make sure I had both cellphones in my jacket pocket. Lavi laughed.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past block! Sheesh. I swear, you're worse than Yuu." He shoved me. I shoved him back.

"I think Kanda makes it a point to ignore you." Lavi laughed again.

"So what's up? You look like hell."

"I do?" I frowned a bit. I had not thought the lack of sleep would be so apparent. "Do you know anything about the people who lived in the house before me? Is there a possibility that they may have lent out keys and not gotten them back?"

"Um, I guess. It was just a single dude and his cat. Not something to notice. But I'm pretty sure the locks were changed when you moved in. I'd seen some guys out there from a locksmith business. Why?"

"I am relatively certain that-"

"Now who do we have here?" A girl's voice called out, interrupting me before I could say anymore. "Looks like you're still dragging the new kid around, huh, Lavi?" The almost mocking tone to her voice gave away who she was before I'd turned to confirm. It was Road.

"Since when do you walk this way to school?" Lavi motioned toward the other side of town. "You don't even live around here."

"Since when do you? Last time I checked, we were practically neighbors." She answered, a smirk clear on her face.

"I was going to ask Allen about the drivers ed assignment."

"Really? How funny! Not too long ago, Allen was going to ask Devit and Jasdero about the same thing. He went well out of his way to do that too. The class must be a lot harder than it sounds if you can't just wait until class to ask. Hmm?" Lavi ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly trying to keep any emotion from showing on his face. I looked to him then back to Road. She was right. He never had walked with me to class. He must have known something happened. But how?

"We're partners." I spoke before he could. "We're paired up for all of the traffic assignments. We've been trying to figure out how the test is going to work, whether or not we will be placed in the same car for the driving examination. Is there something strange about that?" I asked, speaking as if I was honestly curious.

"Yeah. You're making it out to sound like there's some big secret." Lavi joined in with ease, his demeanor showing enthusiasm.

"Is there?" I turned to Lavi and asked.

"I don't know. Madam Secretary?" Lavi turned to Road.

"Why don't you ask Tyki? I'm sure he'd be happy to arrange a meeting if you have any questions. A government body of any kind has to be transparent, after all. Official or not." There was no hitch or falter in her confidence. Whatever she had been trying to do, she'd succeeded. By that time, we were at school, far from the privacy needed to disclose any information to Lavi.

"Wow. Driver's ed is pretty intense if even the big bad president is going to dip his hands into it." Lavi made a face and looked to me. "You'd better study."

"You're one to talk." I shot back. Road shrugged and walked past us.

"You have no idea." She hummed the words and disappeared into the crowd of people.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I wish I knew." With Road gone from sight, he let the irritation show on his face. "What were you going to say about your house?" He asked in a low voice. I shook my head and pocketed my hands. My jaw dropped. "What?"

"There's only one phone." I muttered, pulling my phone from my pocket. Tyki's was gone. Almost instantly, I received a message.

**Tyki Mikk: Thank you for finding my phone. I was worried.**

I let out my breath slowly and snapped the phone shut. Lavi raised an eyebrow, confusion evident.

"You found Tyki Mikk's phone?"

"On my kitchen table." I answered. Lavi's eyes widened.

"How...?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Days had passed with no further event. Midterms came closer. Work loads in classes increased. Lavi and I had decided to put off meeting to discuss the student council until we'd confirmed a place where we could talk without being overheard and with our meeting going unnoticed. With the range of influence the Noah had, this was not an easy task.

"All right. It's about time I announce the structure of the driving exam. For those of you who will be of legal age, you are allowed to take the test during midterms. For those of you who will not be, sorry. Looks like you'll be stuck going to the DMV on your own. The school only lets us offer the course for one semester. If you've got a problem with that, take it up with the board. They'll shoot your ideas down for me."

The class laughed. A few people mumbled about being excited they'd be able to take the test or angry that they would not be able to.

"As I really hope you're aware by now, a standard car comfortably seats four people. That means we'll have one instructor and three students per car. If you and your partner get along, you can sign up to be in the same car. It doesn't really matter. If you think your partner might kill you, you can opt to drive with someone else. Allen, this is an option you should take."

"Come on! I'm a great driver!" Lavi pretended to be insulted.

"I am sure that is why Mr. Arystar asks about switching jobs every time he comes back from traffic with you, Bookman." Again, the class erupted with laughter. "Anyway, I'd like for all of you to sign up for your cars now. The sooner we get the details nailed out, the sooner we can get you a definite schedule. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can ask your car-mates to run a practice session or two. Please fill out the forms on your desk. Get a signature from each of the members confirming your partnership before you hand it in. After that, go ahead and pretend you're studying for the written portion."

"Hey Yuu-"

"I will not drive in the same car with you."

"Lenalee? Want to join me and Allen?"

"Well... It's not that I don't trust your driving..."

"Fine fine!" Lavi laughed and leaned over, looking around the class for any students left over. "Hey Johnny! Got a group yet?" The kid's face fell.

"Um, no. No I don't."

"You do now." Lavi held up the form and motioned for him to come over. "Let's drive with Krory. Any objections?"

"No." Johnny and I spoke in unison, both feeling sorry for the poor man.

"Then sign your names!" He slapped the form down in front of us and offered us a pen.

"I feel like I'm selling my soul." Johnny muttered and signed.

"Don't worry. You're an organ donor, aren't you?" Lavi folded his hands under his chin and smiled.

"That makes me feel a lot better." Johnny answered sarcastically and passed the form to me. When the course instructor came to pick up the form, she patted Johnny on the shoulder.

"At least you're an organ donor." She spoke with solemnity. Lavi burst into laughter at Johnny's expression. I had trouble not laughing myself.

"In a couple of days, I'll give you guys the schedule. You're going to be assigned a time that fits your schedules, so don't get yourself worked up about that. Yes, that does extend to extra curricular activities. No, you will not miss practice or any games or meetings." She spoke as if she'd answered those same questions a hundred of times. "You will all drive one of two courses. Your instructor will have a checklist to mark off things you did or didn't do. We'll have a camera in the car to record any session in case we feel that the results indicated on the clipboard do not meet the usual capability of the student. Not that we expect any dishonesty from the instructors, that is. It is simply a precaution. If you have any questions, shoot, If not, pull out your books and study guides."

"Man! I can't wait to have my license." Lavi kicked back in his seat, grinning. "Hey! I've got an idea." He sat up quickly and leaned over to me. "Once I get my license, let's book it to some other town for the weekend." It was an unspoken agreement that this would be the time and place to hash out all the details of the student council. "This time a week from now, we're going to have the world at our fingertips!"

"That sounds like fun. I've always wanted to take a road trip!" I filled in a few answers on the study guide. "Will Kanda and Lenalee come along too?"

"You bet! Yuu will-"

"Stupid rabbit. I am _never_ getting in to a car with you." Kanda gripped the edge of his desk. "And if you call me 'Yuu' one more time..."

"All right all right!" Lavi put his hands up in fake surrender. "I've got it." When Kanda turned away, Lavi looked to me and shook his head as if to say 'he's not serious, he'll be coming with.' A textbook collided with Lavi's head.

"Somehow, I don't think Kanda agrees."

**A/N: Super short and really not much advancement. Ahh. Sorry about that. I am going to try to get the next chapter up sooner. I look forward to being able to get into the bulk of the story. For those of you who have stuck around, I really appreciate it. For any newcomers, I appreciate it. In general, if you've bothered to read all the way to chapter 6, you've got a special place in my heart. Thanks, my friends! **

**See you next time!**


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